The Story of the First Colors
For the episode this story appears in, see The First Colors. The Story of the First Colors is a legend passed down from generation to generation, among pack dogs and wanderers alike. Almost every painted dog tells it to their pups, and it is supposed to mimic or even be a retelling of actual history. It tells the tale of the creation of Africa, especially from the dogs' point of view, and how Light and Dark brought color to the world. It also tells of their Great Battle, and why all painted dogs are born with their colorful pelts. Zahra tells this story to Cyrah's pups in the episode The First Colors. Script (told by Zahra) "Long ago, much longer than our ancestors can recall, animals had no color. The great continent of Africa was barren and ugly, with no plants or water. The creatures that lived on it were simple, not at all what they’re like today. One day, a god of the universe took pity on the beasts, and decided to gift them special powers in order to bring beauty and pride to the land and its inhabitants. '' '''This god is Olorun, the supreme creator. He crafted his plan, mapping out the beauty that our home could offer if given the right attention. '' '' First he had to build the world, but he could not do it alone. So he gifted the animals with special powers, to tend to the land and sea so nothing would ever stay the same. It would be forever changing, like the creatures who lived there. '' '' First there was Lion, who was given the powers of the sun. He grew a glorious fiery mane to rival the star itself, and a boisterous roar that he would use to wake it every morning.'' '' Leopard was given the powers of the moon. She was given a luminescent coat and a long tail that would help her climb the tallest tree, leading the moon and stars up their path in the sky.'' '' Then there was Hyena, blessed with the powers of the clouds. The happy animal would create puffs of white softness when he laughed. The puffs would float up to the sky, bringing up hopes and happiness of animals with them. If he was angry, his growls would create storm clouds that ravaged the sky. '' '' Cheetah was given the powers of the wind. She could run faster than any animal, and stirred the air with her long legs, her racing paws created mighty winds all over the savannah.'' '' Crocodile was given the powers of the rivers. The water swirled and roared along with him, adapting to his mood. When he was calm, the rivers ran smooth and slow; but if agitated, they could run rapid and wild. '' '' Then the Hoofed creatures, of course which included Zebra, Impala, Gazelle, and other beasts, were given the powers of the earth and connection. During the day they would run as one, all the different animals working together and acting as though they were the same. Together they molded hills and valleys, and at night they rested together, creating the peaceful prairies.'' '' Giraffe was separated from the Hoofed ones as Olorun gave her a long neck, so she could pull up the plants with her teeth. The plants grew up to the sky, reaching for the sun. They grew tall and beautiful as she did, graceful and proud. She had the powers of the foliage. '' '' Now that Olorun and his children had mapped out the world, the only thing left to to do was color it. Olorun had wonderful blueprints for the land that were amazingly ambitious. But he prudently decided to delegate the job to someone else. It wouldn’t do for the Master of All to get his hands dirty.'' So he chose two dogs, brothers, who wanted more for their home. Their hearts were true and shown through, easy to see as their black and white pelts. He gifted them two brushes, to paint the world and give it color. '' ''Now these two brothers, whose true names are long lost to history, are known to us as the Light Dog and the Dark Dog. They had the powers of light and shadows, and were opposites of each other. Of course, they were the ones responsible for color; qualities of light being reflected off of objects. '' The older brother, the Light dog, had paints consisted of bright abstract colors no animal had ever seen. Beautiful shades of blues, reds, yellows, greens, purples, and many others. All the animals were drawn to him and his beautiful brushes and paints.'' '' 'The younger brother, the Dark dog, had colors that were platonic. Though very much needed to balance the world of color, his paint lacked the vividness of the Light Dog's paint. Where his blacks, browns, greys, and creams had their own natural beauty, they were often ignored by the animals who clamored to see the Light Dog’s amorous and bright spiritual colors. But he was still proud of his neutral colors, and knew the other animals would soon see their own plain beauty, staying within the boundaries his brushes gave him. The Dogs used their special brushes to paint the Continent. The sun was painted first, and that made Lion quite happy. The trees and land and rivers were painted. Everyone was happy all around, because the Continent had become more beautiful and bright. Eventually, however, everything seemed to go wrong. The Dark dog watched in envy as most of the animals asked to be painted in his brother’s bright and vivid colors, which clashed outlandishly with the neutral landscape of the mountains and grasslands. The animals could not blend in and had trouble with hunting and hiding. This was not what Olorun had hoped for his creations. Yet with all the drawbacks, they still swarmed and praised the older brother. The Dark dog thought them all fools. He grew cold and angry, abashed at how the animals simply ignored his paint's simplistic essence, but awed at his brother’s flashy obnoxious shades. Over time the jealousy consumed the Dark dog. Driven by rage, he challenged his brother in battle, the loser having to give up his colors forever. So the brothers fought the only way they knew how, by using their brushes. They competed with each other, painting the world in many contrasting colors. It was beautiful, of course, but neither saw it that way. They only saw the world as their canvas, to make the other jealous. The Dark dog dominated the nighttime, making the sky so dark that no animal could see. The Light dog chased the clouds away during the day so every animal could see his bright sun. As the Great Battle went on, Dark prevailed. His paints, the colors of the ground, the night sky, and the clouds were spread all over, and were splashed on every animal that was around. Zebra had his white body stained with streaks of black that reminded him of lighting down his sides. Cheetah and Leopard were affected too, obtaining dark splotches on their previously golden painted coats. The animals finally matched their surroundings, and it was beneficial to them all. But no animal turned out looking like the Dogs did; they were the most colorful of them all. They were astonished to find that no animal could tell the pair apart from each other. They were no longer opposites, now that they had the exact same colors on their fur. Neither were one or another, but a were a mix of each element, both made up of light and dark aspects. '' ''Seeing this, the two brothers realized how silly they were acting; how even though their colors were different, their job was the same. To make the world a beautiful place to live in.They joined together as one and gave up their arguing, and continued their quest to paint the lands. They became the first Painted Dogs, and ever since then all painted dogs was born with their fur a mixture of both light and dark. A perfect blend of both simple and exotic beauty..."